Re: iwm firmware confusion

hi!

please file a bug. I have an older Lenovo T540p with Intel 7260 in it,
and iwm works fine.

You don't need to add iwm/iwmfw devices to the kernel config;
everything should load fine as a module and happen automatically.



-adrian

On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 at 05:11, Jan Stary <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> This is 16.0-CURRENT on an HP Elite Book 820 (dmesg below).
> It has this Intel wifi card:
>
> iwm0: <Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless AC 7260> mem 0xd0500000-0xd0501fff at device 0.0 on pci2
> iwm7260fw: could not load firmware image, error 8
> iwm0: hw rev 0x140, fw ver 17.352738.0, address ac:fd:ce:75:8f:fa
>
> By default, 'device iwm' is not in the GENERIC kernel,
> but gets built and (auto)loaded as the if_iwm module.
>
> The iwm(4) manpage says I need to select a firmware for it,
> but adding either 'device iwm7260fw' or 'device 'iwmfw'
> to the GENERIC config fails to even compile:
>
> --- iwm7260fw.o ---
> make[2]: don't know how to make /usr/src/sys/contrib/dev/iwm/iwm-7260-17.fw.uu.
>
> These are not kmods that could be compiled into the kernel
> or built and kldloaded as modules, as iwm(4) and iwmfw(4) suggest.
>
> Files is sys/contrib/dev/iwm/ are exactly the files (and names)
> in /boot/firmware/, so I suppose there isn't anything to be compiled,
> they are just copies (but make installkernel does not copy them,
> even when the kernel has 'device iwm') as the ones in /boot/firmware
> are older. Also note that the firmware fails to load at boot:
>
> iwm7260fw: could not load firmware image, error 8
>
> Is the iwm(4) and iwmfw(4) manpage outdated?
>
>         Jan
>
>
> ---<<BOOT>>---
> Copyright (c) 1992-2026 The FreeBSD Project.
> Copyright (c) 1979, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
>         The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
> FreeBSD is a registered trademark of The FreeBSD Foundation.
> FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT #0 main-n287045-d05d60e958bc-dirty: Sun Jun 28 08:58:13 CEST 2026
>     [email protected]:/usr/obj/usr/src/amd64.amd64/sys/HPEB820 amd64
> FreeBSD clang version 21.1.8 (https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project.git llvmorg-21.1.8-0-g2078da43e25a)
> VT(efifb): resolution 1024x768
> sysctl_register_oid: can't re-use a leaf (vfs.zfs.metaslab.condense_pct)!
> CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4600U CPU @ 2.10GHz (2693.90-MHz K8-class CPU)
>   Origin="GenuineIntel"  Id=0x40651  Family=0x6  Model=0x45  Stepping=1
>   Features=0xbfebfbff<FPU,VME,DE,PSE,TSC,MSR,PAE,MCE,CX8,APIC,SEP,MTRR,PGE,MCA,CMOV,PAT,PSE36,CLFLUSH,DTS,ACPI,MMX,FXSR,SSE,SSE2,SS,HTT,TM,PBE>
>   Features2=0x7ffafbff<SSE3,PCLMULQDQ,DTES64,MON,DS_CPL,VMX,SMX,EST,TM2,SSSE3,SDBG,FMA,CX16,xTPR,PDCM,PCID,SSE4.1,SSE4.2,x2APIC,MOVBE,POPCNT,TSCDLT,AESNI,XSAVE,OSXSAVE,AVX,F16C,RDRAND>
>   AMD Features=0x2c100800<SYSCALL,NX,Page1GB,RDTSCP,LM>
>   AMD Features2=0x21<LAHF,ABM>
>   Structured Extended Features=0x27ab<FSGSBASE,TSCADJ,BMI1,AVX2,SMEP,BMI2,ERMS,INVPCID,NFPUSG>
>   Structured Extended Features3=0x9c000600<MCUOPT,MD_CLEAR,IBPB,STIBP,L1DFL,SSBD>
>   XSAVE Features=0x1<XSAVEOPT>
>   VT-x: (disabled in BIOS) PAT,HLT,MTF,PAUSE,EPT,UG,VPID
>   TSC: P-state invariant, performance statistics
> real memory  = 10737418240 (10240 MB)
> avail memory = 9802305536 (9348 MB)
> Event timer "LAPIC" quality 600
> ACPI APIC Table: <HPQOEM 1991    >
> FreeBSD/SMP: Multiprocessor System Detected: 4 CPUs
> FreeBSD/SMP: 1 package(s) x 2 core(s) x 2 hardware threads
> random: registering fast source Intel Secure Key RNG
> random: fast provider: "Intel Secure Key RNG"
> random: unblocking device.
> ioapic0 <Version 2.0> irqs 0-39
> Launching APs: 1 2 3
> random: entropy device external interface
> kbd1 at kbdmux0
> efirtc0: <EFI Realtime Clock>
> efirtc0: registered as a time-of-day clock, resolution 1.000000s
> smbios0: <System Management BIOS> at iomem 0x9d333218-0x9d333236
> smbios0: Entry point: v2.1 (32-bit), Version: 2.7, BCD Revision: 2.7
> aesni0: <AES-CBC,AES-CCM,AES-GCM,AES-ICM,AES-XTS>
> acpi0: <HPQOEM SLIC-MPC>
> acpi0: Power Button (fixed)
> cpu0: <ACPI CPU> on acpi0
> hpet0: <High Precision Event Timer> iomem 0xfed00000-0xfed003ff on acpi0
> Timecounter "HPET" frequency 14318180 Hz quality 950
> Event timer "HPET" frequency 14318180 Hz quality 550
> Event timer "HPET1" frequency 14318180 Hz quality 440
> Event timer "HPET2" frequency 14318180 Hz quality 440
> Event timer "HPET3" frequency 14318180 Hz quality 440
> Event timer "HPET4" frequency 14318180 Hz quality 440
> atrtc0: <AT realtime clock> port 0x70-0x77 irq 8 on acpi0
> atrtc0: Warning: Couldn't map I/O.
> atrtc0: registered as a time-of-day clock, resolution 1.000000s
> Event timer "RTC" frequency 32768 Hz quality 0
> attimer0: <AT timer> port 0x40-0x43,0x50-0x53 irq 0 on acpi0
> Timecounter "i8254" frequency 1193182 Hz quality 0
> Event timer "i8254" frequency 1193182 Hz quality 100
> Timecounter "ACPI-fast" frequency 3579545 Hz quality 900
> acpi_timer0: <24-bit timer at 3.579545MHz> port 0x1808-0x180b on acpi0
> acpi_ec0: <Embedded Controller: GPE 0x6> port 0x62,0x66 on acpi0
> pcib0: <ACPI Host-PCI bridge> port 0xcf8-0xcff on acpi0
> pci0: <ACPI PCI bus> on pcib0
> vgapci0: <VGA-compatible display> port 0x3000-0x303f mem 0xd0000000-0xd03fffff,0xc0000000-0xcfffffff at device 2.0 on pci0
> vgapci0: Boot video device
> hdac0: <Intel Haswell HDA Controller> mem 0xd0730000-0xd0733fff at device 3.0 on pci0
> xhci0: <Intel Panther Point USB 3.0 controller> mem 0xd0720000-0xd072ffff at device 20.0 on pci0
> xhci0: 32 bytes context size, 64-bit DMA
> xhci0: xECP capabilities <PROTO,PROTO,VEND(c1),VEND(c0),LEGACY,DEBUG>
> usbus0: waiting for BIOS to give up control
> usbus0: timed out waiting for BIOS
> xhci0: Port routing mask set to 0xffffffff
> usbus0 on xhci0
> usbus0: 5.0Gbps Super Speed USB v3.0
> pci0: <simple comms> at device 22.0 (no driver attached)
> uart2 port 0x30b0-0x30b7 mem 0xd073f000-0xd073ffff at device 22.3 on pci0
> uart2: Using 1 MSI message
> em0: <Intel(R) I218-LM LPTLP> port 0x3080-0x309f mem 0xd0700000-0xd071ffff,0xd073e000-0xd073efff at device 25.0 on pci0
> em0: EEPROM V0.3-4
> em0: Using 1024 TX descriptors and 1024 RX descriptors
> em0: Using an MSI interrupt
> em0: Ethernet address: 30:8d:99:15:01:20
> em0: netmap queues/slots: TX 1/1024, RX 1/1024
> hdac1: <Intel Lynx Point-LP HDA Controller> mem 0xd0734000-0xd0737fff at device 27.0 on pci0
> pcib1: <ACPI PCI-PCI bridge> at device 28.0 on pci0
> pci1: <ACPI PCI bus> on pcib1
> pcib2: <ACPI PCI-PCI bridge> at device 28.3 on pci0
> pci2: <ACPI PCI bus> on pcib2
> pci2: <network> at device 0.0 (no driver attached)
> pcib3: <ACPI PCI-PCI bridge> at device 28.5 on pci0
> pci3: <ACPI PCI bus> on pcib3
> pci3: <unknown> at device 0.0 (no driver attached)
> ehci0: <Intel Lynx Point-LP USB 2.0 controller> mem 0xd073d000-0xd073d3ff at device 29.0 on pci0
> usbus1: EHCI version 1.0
> usbus1 on ehci0
> usbus1: 480Mbps High Speed USB v2.0
> isab0: <PCI-ISA bridge> at device 31.0 on pci0
> isa0: <ISA bus> on isab0
> ahci0: <Intel Lynx Point-LP AHCI SATA controller> port 0x30a8-0x30af,0x30bc-0x30bf,0x30a0-0x30a7,0x30b8-0x30bb,0x3060-0x307f mem 0xd073c000-0xd073c7ff at device 31.2 on pci0
> ahci0: AHCI v1.30 with 2 6Gbps ports, Port Multiplier not supported
> ahcich0: <AHCI channel> at channel 0 on ahci0
> battery0: <ACPI Control Method Battery> on acpi0
> acpi_acad0: <AC Adapter> on acpi0
> acpi_button0: <Sleep Button> on acpi0
> acpi_lid0: <Control Method Lid Switch> on acpi0
> acpi_tz0: <Thermal Zone> on acpi0
> acpi_tz1: <Thermal Zone> on acpi0
> acpi_tz2: <Thermal Zone> on acpi0
> acpi_tz3: <Thermal Zone> on acpi0
> acpi_tz4: <Thermal Zone> on acpi0
> acpi_tz5: <Thermal Zone> on acpi0
> acpi_tz6: <Thermal Zone> on acpi0
> acpi_tz7: <Thermal Zone> on acpi0
> acpi_syscontainer0: <System Container> on acpi0
> atkbdc0: <Keyboard controller (i8042)> port 0x60,0x64 irq 1 on acpi0
> atkbd0: <AT Keyboard> irq 1 on atkbdc0
> kbd0 at atkbd0
> atkbd0: [GIANT-LOCKED]
> psm0: <PS/2 Mouse> irq 12 on atkbdc0
> psm0: [GIANT-LOCKED]
> WARNING: Device "psm" is Giant locked and may be deleted before FreeBSD 16.0.
> psm0: model Synaptics Touchpad, device ID 0
> est0: <Enhanced SpeedStep Frequency Control> on cpu0
> cpufreq0: <CPU frequency control> on cpu0
> cpufreq1: <CPU frequency control> on cpu1
> cpufreq2: <CPU frequency control> on cpu2
> cpufreq3: <CPU frequency control> on cpu3
> Timecounter "TSC-low" frequency 1346881984 Hz quality 1000
> Timecounters tick every 1.000 msec
> ugen0.1: <Intel XHCI root HUB> at usbus0
> ugen1.1: <Intel EHCI root HUB> at usbus1
> uhub0 on usbus0
> uhub0: <Intel XHCI root HUB, class 9/0, rev 3.00/1.00, addr 1> on usbus0
> uhub1 on usbus1
> uhub1: <Intel EHCI root HUB, class 9/0, rev 2.00/1.00, addr 1> on usbus1
> ZFS filesystem version: 5
> ZFS storage pool version: features support (5000)
> hdacc0: <Intel Haswell HDA CODEC> at cad 0 on hdac0
> hdaa0: <Intel Haswell Audio Function Group> at nid 1 on hdacc0
> pcm0: <Intel Haswell (HDMI/DP 8ch)> at nid 3 on hdaa0
> hdacc1: <IDT 92HD91BXX HDA CODEC> at cad 0 on hdac1
> hdaa1: <IDT 92HD91BXX Audio Function Group> at nid 1 on hdacc1
> pcm1: <IDT 92HD91BXX (Analog 2.0+HP/2.0)> at nid 13,11 and 12,15 on hdaa1
> pcm2: <IDT 92HD91BXX (Analog)> at nid 10 and 17 on hdaa1
> Trying to mount root from zfs:zroot/ROOT/default []...
> ada0 at ahcich0 bus 0 scbus0 target 0 lun 0
> ada0: <TOSHIBA Q300. SAFM12.3> ACS-2 ATA SATA 3.x device
> ada0: Serial Number 36PB3465K1PU
> ada0: 600.000MB/s transfers (SATA 3.x, UDMA6, PIO 8192bytes)
> ada0: Command Queueing enabled
> ada0: 457862MB (937703088 512 byte sectors)
> uhub0: 13 ports with 13 removable, self powered
> ugen0.2: <SMSC USB2134B> at usbus0
> uhub2 on uhub0
> uhub2: <SMSC USB2134B, class 9/0, rev 2.10/50.00, addr 1> on usbus0
> uhub2: MTT enabled
> Root mount waiting for: usbus0 usbus1
> uhub1: 3 ports with 3 removable, self powered
> uhub2: 3 ports with 2 removable, self powered
> ugen1.2: <vendor 0x8087 product 0x8000> at usbus1
> uhub3 on uhub1
> uhub3: <vendor 0x8087 product 0x8000, class 9/0, rev 2.00/0.04, addr 2> on usbus1
> ugen0.3: <SMSC USB5534B> at usbus0
> uhub4 on uhub0
> uhub4: <SMSC USB5534B, class 9/0, rev 3.00/50.00, addr 2> on usbus0
> Root mount waiting for: usbus0 usbus1
> uhub3: 8 ports with 8 removable, self powered
> uhub4: 3 ports with 2 removable, self powered
> acpi_wmi0: <ACPI-WMI mapping> on acpi0
> acpi_wmi0: Embedded MOF found
> ichsmb0: <Intel Lynx Point-LP SMBus controller> port 0xef80-0xef9f mem 0xd0738000-0xd07380ff at device 31.3 on pci0
> smbus0: <System Management Bus> on ichsmb0
> iwm0: <Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless AC 7260> mem 0xd0500000-0xd0501fff at device 0.0 on pci2
> iwm7260fw: could not load firmware image, error 8
> iwm0: hw rev 0x140, fw ver 17.352738.0, address ac:fd:ce:75:8f:fa
> rtsx0: <2.1g Realtek RTS5227 PCIe SD Card Reader> mem 0xd0400000-0xd0400fff at device 0.0 on pci3
> rtsx0: A card is detected
> mmc0: <MMC/SD bus> on rtsx0
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD8
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD8
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD8
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD8
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD55
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD55
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD55
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD55
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD1
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD1
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD1
> rtsx0: Controller timeout for CMD1
> mmc0: No compatible cards found on bus
> wlan0: Ethernet address: ac:fd:ce:75:8f:fa
> lo0: link state changed to UP
> iwm0: iwm_auth: failed to update power management
> iwm0: iwm_newstate: could not move to auth state: 35
>